Vol. 32 No. 12 DECEMBER 2003
MACo COMMITTEES
SALARY INCREASES
STATE TAX COLLECTIONS
NEW FINANCE OFFICER
COUNTY NEWS
LOSS CONTROL TRAINING
TO COUNT OR BE COUNTED
Mobil Technical
Assistance Center
Stillwater County
On the national level,
Homeland Security is a current topic, but Stillwater County has been concerned
about Disaster and Emergency Services for many years. As county planners discussed issues of safety and health for their
citizens, they broadened the scope to be better prepared to address any
situation that might arise. They felt a
mobile unit would be best- equipped to handle data processing, communications
and to conduct county business. Jim
Larson, GIS / Weed Specialist, was a major player in designing the unit.
Communication Center
Data transfer is available
through a satellite system that allows for transmission to all locations in the
state and nation. The system works well
with e-mail and provides rapid use of information available from state and federal
departments. With this system the
County can send and receive information that is important for record keeping as
well as obtaining instructions. They
no longer use a cumbersome telephone modem connection.
Local Government
(portable courthouse)
The facility has up to 6 work
stations. Two are connected to the
server and four stations for lap top computers can be accessed by wireless
connection. This provides the capability
of continuing the financial, bookkeeping, payroll, recording and other functions
of county government. The Black
Mountain Software is loaded on the server so staff can log in and access backup
tapes to continue their functions of government. All the programs are the same as those in the courthouse. The only functions of government that aren’t
available are those relying on the state access and law enforcement /
justice.
Mapping Capability
The GPS system is tied in
with the programs loaded on the server.
This provides the capability of reproducing maps of an area involved in
fire, flood, bio-terrorism or other disaster.
A recent trial run of the unit resulted in the production of more than
600 maps that were used in the mock
situation. There are several
printers
and a plotter that allows for
any size map to be reproduced. The maps
are dependant on the GPS work that is done by agencies, so coordination is the
key element.
Information Presentation
A projector in the unit will
transmit computer-generated data to a screen above the conference table in the
former living room of the 40-foot
trailer. This allows everyone to
view the same information. In addition,
several layers of maps from a determined area can be displayed and printed out for field convenience. Examples of layers are the base map, roads,
bridges, culverts, car passes, signs, cadastral maps, hazardous material sites,
utility lines, building and home locations, etc. There is also a 3-D program for more visual presentation. The conference room can accommodate eight
people, seated.
Disaster Situations
Visualize the possibility of
an outbreak of a deadly disease in livestock.
Veterinarians will be able to set up a laboratory that will process
samples and provide data transfer to the state veterinarian. Additionally, should Medial Doctors have a
need for setting up a portable laboratory for a human outbreak, this can be
done as well. The unit has
refrigerator, freezer, heat, hot water, space for special tables, air
conditioning and wiring for any situation.
The Mobil Technical Assistance Center is equipped with a generator so it
is readily available for use anytime.
Summary
This is an answer to Homeland
Security in a small rural county in Montana.
Stillwater County feels
possibilities for expansion and improvements are endless. They are pleased with this arrangement as it
is a step above Incident Command vehicles and serves as an important resource
for the designers, planners, analyzers, and specialized service providers who
may need to respond to a disaster or emergency.
Thank you to Commissioner Chuck Egan,
Stillwater County Commissioner, for submitting this article.
HOLIDAY GREETINGS
Greg Jackson, JPIA Insurance Marketing
Harold
Blattie, Assistant Director
Gordon
Morris, Executive Director
Jack
Holstrom, Personnel Services
Ray
Barnicoat, JPA Risk Manager
Oline Barta, Administrative Assistant
Emelia
McEwen, JPA Assistant Risk Manager
Carla
Smith, Finance Officer
Karen
Houston, Meeting Planner
Fran Monro, JPA / JPIA Administrative Assistant
Marie
McAlear, Publications
PRESIDENT
Carol Brooker,
Sanders County
FIRST
VICE PRESIDENT Bill Kennedy,
Yellowstone County
SECOND
VICE PRESIDENT Doug Kaercher, Hill
County
FISCAL
OFFICER Bill Nyby, Sheridan
County
PAST
PRESIDENT Gary Fjelstad,
Rosebud County
URBAN
REPRESENTATIVE Jean Curtiss, Missoula,
County
DAVE REINHARDT, Valley County
MAUREEN DAVEY, Stillwater County
DAVE SCHULZ, Madison County
HERB TOWNSEND, Meagher County
KEN EVANS, Chouteau County
ROBERT GOFFENA, Musselshell County
JIM SPARKS, Weed Association
HAROLD BLATTIE, MACo
MIKE
McGINLEY, Beaverhead County
BETTY
LUND, Ravalli County
JOANN
HUFFSMITH, Granite County
MACK
COLE, Treasure County
GARY
MACDONALD, Roosevelt County
GORDON
MORRIS, MACo
BILL KENNEDY, Chair, Yellowstone County
DON RIEGER, Fallon County
DON STEPPLER, Richland County
TOM BENNETT, Wheatland County
JEAN CURTISS, Missoula County
MILT MARKUSON, Carter County
DOUG KAERCHER, Hill County
JOAN KRAUSE, Golden Valley County
CLIFFORD BARE, Stillwater County
BETTY HAGFELDT, Daniels County
GORDON MORRIS, MACo
MARY SEXTON, Chair, Teton County
MARK REHBEIN, Richland County
HARVEY WORRALL, Chouteau County
JIM RENO, Yellowstone County
RUSS TEMPEL, Liberty County
FERRIS TOAVS, Roosevelt County
CORAL CUMMINGS, Lincoln County
ART PEMBROKE, Lewis-Clark County IT
NORM CALVERT, Flathead County IT
JIM DOLEZAL, Missoula County IT
ROSS CAVAZOS, Yellowstone Coounty IT
JEFF BRANDT, State ISD
TONY HERBERT, State ISD
HAROLD BLATTIE, MACO
RODDY ROST, Chair, Fallon County
GARY FJELSTAD, Rosebud County
CLIFF BROPHY, Stillwater County
JIM DECKERT, Dawson County
JOHN KONZEN, Lincoln County
SAM HARRIS, Pondera County
GARTH HAUGLAND, Beaverhead County
PAUL BEAUSOLEIL, Anaconda-Deer Lodge
BRYAN ADOLPH, Musselshell County
KEN RONISH, Fergus County
JOHN PRETTY ON TOP, Big Horn County
GREG CHILCOTT, Ravalli County
ED TINSLEY, Lewis & Clark County
GORDON MORRIS, MACo
HOWARD GIPE, Chair, Flathead County
PADDY TRUSLER, Lake County
JOHN PRINKKI, Chair, Carbon County
SHERRY CARGILL, Jefferson County
CHUCK EGAN, Stillwater County
EARL MARTIN, Granite County
BILL MURDOCK, Gallatin County
BILL CAREY, Missoula County
TED COFFMAN, Madison County
JIM DURGAN, Park County
DEB RANUM, Fallon County
JED FISHER, Weed Association
HAROLD BLATTIE, MACo
CONNIE EISSINGER, Chair, McCone County
ELAINE ALLESTAD, Sweet Grass County
JUDY STANG, Mineral County
CARL SEILSTAD, Fergus County
ED DIEMERT, Liberty County
ALAN THOMPSON, Ravalli County
FRANK NELSON, Madison County
TROY BLUNT, Phillips County
DONNA SEVALSTAD Beaverhead County
MIKE MURRAY, Lewis & Clark County
BETTY AYE, Powder River County
SCOTT BOCKNESS, Weed Association
HAROLD BLATTIE, MACo
MIKE MURRAY, Chair, Lewis and Clark County
JENNIFER S. MITCHELL, Gallatin County
CAROL KIENENBERGER, Phillips County
ALBERT BROWN, Carbon County
ART KLEINJAN, Blaine County
LANCE OLSON, Cascade County
JANET KELLY, Custer County
GORDON MORRIS, MACo
HAROLD BLATTIE, MACo
BILL NYBY, Chair, Sheridan County
DAN WATSON, Rosebud County
ALLAN UNDERDAL, Toole County
LEE IVERSON, Petroleum County
BILL ICENOGGLE, Glacier County
RITA WINDOM, Lincoln County
TOM NELSON, Wibaux County
SANDRA BOARDMAN, Blaine County
GAIL PATTON, Sanders County
GORDON MORRIS, MACo
HAROLD BLATTIE, MACo
VERN PETERSEN, Chair, Fergus County
JAMIE DOGGETT, Meagher County
HENRY JOHNSON, Richland County
HAROLD LAWS, Sanders County
JOHN OSTLUND, Yellowstone County
JOAN STAHL, Rosebud County
RICHARD DUNBAR, Phillips County
SAM GIANFRANCISCO, LTAP
ERIC GRIFFIN, MACRS
RICHARD SEILER, MACRS
JIM
GHEKIERE, Weed Association
GORDON
MORRIS, MACo
2003-2004
SALARY INCREASES
for ELECTED OFFICIALS
|
COUNTY |
SALARIES (COLA 1.6%) |
||
|
ANACONDA-DEERLODGE |
3% |
||
|
BEAVERHEAD |
3.96% |
||
|
BIG
HORN |
10.28% |
||
|
BLAINE |
3.85% |
||
|
BROADWATER |
1.6% |
||
|
BUTTE-SILVER
BOW |
3% |
||
|
CARBON |
2% |
||
|
CARTER |
3.2% |
||
|
CASCADE |
.1% |
||
|
CHOUTEAU |
2.8% |
||
|
CUSTER |
1.6% |
||
|
DANIELS |
2.5% |
||
|
DAWSON |
5.1% |
||
|
FALLON |
4.3% |
||
|
FERGUS |
1.6% |
||
|
FLATHEAD
|
4.8% |
||
|
GALLATIN |
2% |
||
|
GARFIELD |
1.6% |
||
|
GLACIER |
1.6% |
||
|
GOLDEN
VALLEY |
0 |
||
|
GRANITE |
1.6% |
||
|
HILL |
1.6% |
||
|
JEFFERSON |
1% + 1% longevity |
||
|
JUDITH
BASIN |
2% + longevity |
||
|
LAKE |
3% |
||
|
LEWIS
& CLARK |
5% |
||
|
LIBERTY |
4.4% |
||
|
LINCOLN |
1.6% |
||
|
MADISON |
4% |
|
|
|
McCONE |
1.6% |
|
|
|
MEAGHER |
1.6% |
|
|
|
MINERAL |
1.6% |
|
|
|
MISSOULA |
3% + 1% longevity |
|
|
|
MUSSELSHELL |
1.6% |
|
|
|
PARK |
2.2% |
|
|
|
PETROLEUM |
0 |
|
|
|
PHILLIPS |
1.9% |
|
|
|
PONDERA |
3% |
|
|
|
POWDER
RIVER |
0 |
|
|
|
POWELL |
2% |
|
|
|
PRAIRIE |
1.6% |
|
|
|
RAVALLI |
2% |
|
|
|
RICHLAND |
4.1% |
|
|
|
ROOSEVELT |
1.465% |
|
|
|
ROSEBUD |
2.5% |
|
|
|
SANDERS |
1.6% |
|
|
|
SHERIDAN |
1.6% |
|
|
|
STILLWATER |
1.6% + 1% longevity |
|
|
|
SWEET
GRASS |
1.6% |
|
|
|
TETON |
5% |
|
|
|
TOOLE |
3% |
|
|
|
TREASURE |
2.6% |
|
|
|
VALLEY |
7% |
|
|
|
WHEATLAND |
2% |
|
|
|
WIBAUX |
1.6% |
|
|
|
YELLOWSTONE |
1% + 1% longevity |
|
|
STATE COLLECTION
of
CENTRALLY ASSESSED PROPERTY TAXES
By L. Harold Blattie, MACo
Assistant Director
The Interim Education and Local Government Committee met
Thursday, October 30, 2003 in Helena. At
the meeting we learned that a committee member (whose county was significantly
impacted by the PP&L tax protest) does not plan to bring the issue of state
collection of taxes on centrally assessed property taxes to the Committee, but
we understand that he does intend to pursue legislation that will help mitigate
the effects of such taxes paid under protest.
While there are no proposals to review
at this time, I would like to examine some aspects of a potential
proposal. In doing this, I have made
some assumptions that may, or may not, be accurate.
An owner of centrally assessed property
would receive a single tax bill from the State, rather than a separate tax bill
from each county. The tax bill would
impose a flat number of mills across the State, irrespective of the mills being
assessed in any local jurisdiction.
This would eliminate a disparate number of mills being levied from
jurisdiction to jurisdiction. The
amount of the tax by the State would be based on the total statewide taxes paid
in a base year. Replacement dollars for
local jurisdictions would be distributed through the Entitlement Share or a
similar reimbursement program.
The primary benefit for local
governments is removal of the uncertainty and risk with taxpayer appeals of
taxable value and/or paying taxes under protest. However, the State would need to distribute funds that they may,
or may not, receive. This change would
de-couple the reimbursement to each county from the taxes actually paid, leaving
the risk of appeals and protests with the State.
For some centrally assessed properties,
the value is currently decreasing due to depreciation and/or reduced revenue
generation by the facility being taxed.
This reduces the taxable value of those properties, which, absent
increased mills being levied, causes a reduction in revenue. If the money went into the Entitlement
Share, it could become part of the base and be subject to the annual growth
rate, as is the rest of the Entitlement Share money. This would provide for annual growth in revenue for counties.
It is difficult to assume that the
legislature would agree to a completely decoupled reimbursement. If the taxes collected went down by ten
percent in a given year and the reimbursement grew by 2 percent, the State
would come up short 12%. I doubt that
this would be acceptable to the State.
Further, there could be potential problems with conflicts between
counties and the State over tax liens and which entity’s lien would be
superior.
In addition, if a new, major project
were built and were centrally assessed (ie. a pipeline or electrical
transmission line), the local area would have to mitigate the impacts such as
roads and law enforcement with no additional revenue being generated to address
those impacts. The State would be the
sole beneficiary of the increased tax base unless some mechanism were built in
to make adjustments to any reimbursement mechanism for new construction.
Finally, because the tax base would be
less, local revenue would be lost because of inflation and the number of the
mills that float due to changes (additions and deletions) in property being
taxed. The tax base for permissive
levies would be lost because the reimbursement would not be part of the overall
tax base for a county. This would
impact the countywide education levies, as well as all locally imposed
levies. Also lost would be that portion
of the tax base for any future growth in the permissive health insurance
levies.
All in all it would appear that this proposal,
while perhaps providing some benefits such as reduced exposure to appeals in
taxable value and protested taxes, would be detrimental to local government
unless many safeguards were built into the legislation. Tax money tied up due to protests has caused
many counties, municipalities, special districts and school districts some very
difficult times and that some change to rectify this situation is
warranted. The question is how best to
accomplish what is needed without compromising a local jurisdiction’s ability
to fund its needs.
Introducing MACo
Finance Officer
Patricia Foster
MACo welcomes Patti Foster as
the new MACo Finance Officer. She began
her duties on December 1.
Patti brings a wide variety of accounting knowledge,
leadership and communication skills to MACo.
For the past three years she has owned and managed her own CPA firm,
serving over 180 clients. Before
starting her own business, she acted as CPA controller for a property
management business, worked for a large CPA firm, and served on the State Tax
Appeal Board.
Her
formal education includes a Bachelor of Arts in Accounting from Carroll College
and certification as a public accountant.
D.E.S. ADMINISTRATOR JIM GREENE
RETIRES
Jim Greene, DES
Administrator, announced his retirement effective at the end of December.
Jim began working as DES Administrator at the end of
1993. He had transferred from the then
Department of State Lands where he was the Fire Program Manager for Central
Montana. He had been with the Department
for 22 years.
Jim, and his wife, Jeanne, plan to stay
in Helena. Jim will remain active in
emergency management with projects at Texas A&M, FEMA and the National
Emergency Management Association.
He
has always appreciated his association with MACo and hopes to maintain the many
friendships he developed over the years.
IN MEMORIAM
KATHLEEN ALLEY, former Dawson
County Commissioner, passed away at her home following a battle with ovarian
cancer. She was 51. Kathy served on the County Commission from
1996 to 2002. During her term she had
an instrumental role in securing funding for a new senior citizens center. She was a tireless volunteer for many local
boards, groups and activities. Kathy is
survived by her husband, Ken, two children, Jessica and Jeremy, her mother, a
sister and a brother.
JERRY ALLEN, former Ravalli
County Commissioner, died at his home from cancer. He was three days from his 64th birthday. Jerry joined the County Road Department in
the early 1970’s. He served as county
commissioner from 1986 to 1998. He was the only Ravalli County Commissioner in
30 years to serve two consecutive terms.
Jerry was fiscally very conservative and served on statewide groups
related to finance. He is survived by
his wife, Wilma, three children and his sister.
COUNTY NEWS
NEW OFFICIALS
FERGUS
COUNTY has
a new Sheriff. Tom Killham assumed the
responsibilities following Ronald Rowton’s resignation.
CUSTER
COUNTY
appointed Garry Bunke to serve as County Attorney until he runs for the
remainder of the term vacated by Coleen Magera.
POWDER
RIVER COUNTY
Sanitarian resigned due to limited time
to comply with the Food and Consumer Safety Bureau’s requirement for two
fiscal year inspections per establishment.
He recommended that Carter, Fallon and Powder River Counties
share a full-time sanitarian.
FALLON
COUNTY
abandoned groundwork for a gas well because they had no mineral rights for
drilling. They offered to help the Town
of Baker pursue municipal development of a gas well.
BUTTE-SILVER
BOW COUNTY
approved a policy to guide future development of private bridges on the Big
Hole River and Silver Bow Creek. The
policy won broad support from recreation, conservation, agriculture and land
development groups. The policy requires
that all future bridges be necessary to support existing agricultural
operations. The proposed bridge can
also have a subdivision tie-in, but bridges proposed solely to accommodate
residential development will be denied.
All future bridges must be freestanding, with no structural supports in
the water channel and must be located where the banks have been stable for at
least 50 years. Property owners will
assume full liability for their bridges and submit long-term management plans.
BROADWATER
COUNTY is
supporting the second annual charity ball to be held in the courthouse in March
to raise money for local medical services.
CHOUTEAU
COUNTY
issued a statement to land owners in an effort to avoid losing a portion of the
county’s gas tax funds from improper placement of “No Hunting Signs“ on county
right-of-way. “Anyone who posts “No
Hunting” or “No Trespassing” signs of any kind on county right-of-way loses one
mile of Gas Tax funds for each sign posted.”
Such signs are to be posted approximately three feet inside the property
line to avoid loss of funding.
GALLATIN
COUNTY has
prepared writs for 19 delinquent tax payers.
This is part of an effort to track down roughly 600 delinquent taxpayers
and collect more than $550,000 in overdue taxes. After an initial notice that the taxes were overdue, the
Sheriff’s Office sent out letters warning that the writs were pending.
ROSEBUD
COUNTY is
proposing changes in the Sheriff’s Office responsiveness to the Town of
Colstrip. The city pays $410,000
annually for county law enforcement and estimates another $100,000 to run a
city police department, but have been unhappy with the county services.
MADISON
COUNTY was
approached by a local hospital administrator about the possibility of creating
a public health district between Beaverhead, Jefferson and Madison
Counties. The district would allow
the three counties to share administrative duties for public health.
DAWSON
COUNTY Road
Department has begun the process to establish a new unit with American
Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
JEFFERSON
COUNTY
formed an advisory group of fifteen county residents, county employees and
elected officials to help determine the best voted mill levy options. The range of options go from a “no proposed
mill levy” to a mill levy total that would fully fund all county programs and
services prior to the recent budget and personnel cuts.
FERGUS
COUNTY
passed an ordinance, “Preservation of Fergus County’s Livestock Heritage,”
which may be in contradiction of the Hunter’s Initiative I-143, passed by
Montana voters in 2000. The ordinance
is being interpreted as allowing for-fee slaughter on game farms because
livestock owners have a fundamental right to acquire, possess and dispose of
their private property, as afforded in the State Constitution.
HILL
COUNTY
Sheriff’s Office employees have begun mediation to resolve issues of longevity,
shift differential pay and cell phone use.
MACo has issued a Request-for-Proposal to provide self-funded electronic government as an Association service to the 56 member counties. The Association is seeking a suite of web-based software solutions for local governments, to enable on-line licensing, permitting, code enforcement, utility billing, real estate tax collections as well as various fees. Interested vendors have until 5:00 pm, December 31, 2003, to submit proposals. The RFP can be found on the MACo website.
SAFETY RAY SEZ
Ray Barnicoat, MACo Risk Manager
COMING SOON
The
annual MACo Loss Control Conference program is in the final planning
stage. You should have received
information in November. You might have
noticed some changes to the traditional program.
This
year, MACo Risk Management has partnered with the Local Technical Assistance
Program (LTAP) and the Montana Sheriff’s and Peace Officers Association
(MSPOA). Each of the three groups will
be doing training on topics relative to their professions.
The
conference will be held in Lewistown at the Yogo Inn in order to balance the
travel distances for all. A block of
rooms has been reserved at State rate. Attendees
must have their rooms reserved before December 27, 2003.
The conference will begin on Monday, January
12, 2004. At 1:00 pm, the sheriffs will
have a four-hour training session on providing information to the public. This is in response to the articles on this
subject that were published in newspapers throughout the state in October.
Breakout sessions will begin Tuesday morning. There will be
two tracks—one for LTAP and one for MSPOA from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm. The general sessions will include all
participants and will be from 3:15 to 5:00 pm and again on Wednesday from 8:00
am to noon, when the conference will conclude.
I
strongly recommend that all sheriffs attend this conference because the
training topics are of great importance to controlling liability risks. All law enforcement sessions will be POST
certified and sheriffs attending will receive 12 credit hours.
I
also highly recommend that road supervisors, commissioners and safety directors
attend the conference, as there will be new information presented. All participants will be able to go home
with usable information.
WATER
RESERVOIR LEVELS IN THE WEST
ARIZONA 28% of capacity 38% is normal
COLORADO 46% of capacity 61% is normal
IDAHO 44% 66%
MONTANA 65% 81%
NEVADA 21% 53%
NEW MEXICO 18% 53%
OREGON 18% 43%
UTAH 22% 67%
WASHINGTON 19% 43%
WYOMING 24% 56%
US Natural Resources Conservation Service; October 1,
2003
ATTORNEY GENERAL
OPINION
Volume 50 No. 3
Question: Is
a county water district subject to the State of Montana Single Audit Act
whether or not it has accepted local, state or federal funds?
Held: A
county water district, as a defined local government entity, is subject to the
requirements of the State of Montana Single Audit Act, whether or not it has
accepted local, state or federal funds during the year.
Requested
by:
Scott Darkenwald, Director,
Montana Department of Administration
FIRE-RELATED TAX
RELIEF
A property owner whose home or outbuildings were partially
or totally destroyed by wildfire may be eligible for property tax relief. The tax relief is prorated based on the
number of days in the tax year that the property was unusable. Form AB 25 is to be completed by December 31
for tax relief for 2003 and submitted to Montana Department of Revenue.
A forest owner whose standing timber has been destroyed by
wildfire could receive a 50% reduction in assessed value for 20 years beginning
with the 2004 tax year. The forestland
must have been classified as commercial forestland prior to the loss. Form AB-26 is to be completed by the first
Monday in June or within 30 days of receipt of the 2004 property tax
assessment.
RURAL AMERICA BY
THE NUMBERS
To Count or To Be
Counted
By Dan McKenzie
Kentucky Rural Community Assistance
Program
Summer 2003 “Rural Matters”
(a quarterly publication of Rural
Community Assistance Program)
Following the end of every decade and its ensuing census,
prodigies set to work redefining things we thought we understood. Recently “rural community” has apparently
fallen into that abyss of mysteries begging for meaning. It seems shortsighted to package the
differences, which give us definition and substance, and have them reduced to
discreet terms and bell curves.
Certainly there is value in profiling rural America for comparisons, but
it may be of equal importance to remember the contributions those communities
make to the whole.
Kentucky Highway 9 is a gray ribbon of asphalt lacing its
way from the confluence of the Big Sandy and Ohio Rivers in northeastern
Kentucky and steaming over the rolling countryside to eventually bond with
Interstate 75 south of Cincinnati. The
topography along the route is dotted with small communities intermittently
scattered among the valleys. Midway on
the route, between Ashland and Alexandria, the town of Maysville announces its
presence with a sign, serving notice to travelers that Miss America once made
her home in one of the clean and freshly painted houses adorning the river.
As the highway meanders on its northwesterly course and
Maysville has become lost some miles back in the rearview mirror, the casual
traveler could become mesmerized by the serenity on display. One could easily fail to notice the left
turn, identified only as State Road 10, near the sign proclaiming Germantown,
population 213. State Road 10 could
give texture to one’s sense of how “The Road Not Taken” might have looked had
Frost chosen to paint. To dismiss the
turn would be to forfeit an opportunity to observe and measure the character
and sturdiness that knitted the country’s bones.
Entrance to the town is marked with a “Patrolled by Radar”
sign that is humorous at best and dishonest in fact, giving hint to Saturday
night rowdies to take their business elsewhere. Rounding the big right-handed curve allows both the nearside and
distant end of Germantown’s main thoroughfare to come into view, along with
another sign. This one, located
directly in front of the ”county” building, announces the line of demarcation
for counties Bracken and Mason. To
share one post would have been a feat of epic cooperation rarely witnessed in
Kentucky counties.
The building, a tumbling red brick structure of early 20th
century vintage and the former home of the Masonic Lodge, does little to
attract one’s interest. For that
matter, there are no symptoms suggesting local government’s role is remotely
superior or haughty. This is
appropriate for Germantown, because local government strides the pavement in
work boots with determination and purpose.
Perhaps the building serves to remind us that citizenship is less about
show and more about participation.
In the center of town is an abandoned cemetery marking the
resting places of former residents, some of whom were born when buffalo grazed
the valleys. Respect for those long
departed and entombed in the town’s center is evidenced by the meticulous
upkeep of the grounds. Moreover,
respect for those presently living may be observed by the frugal and watchful
way the community is managed. On a
typical weekend afternoon, it would not be uncommon to find one of the county
commissioners, trudging along behind a lawnmower cutting the cemetery
grass. Beads of sweat and the
contribution of a few weekend hours are not the usual perks associated with
elected office, but that’s the way it’s done in Germantown.
As we seek to define rural America by assigning shape and
proportion, we may be remiss if we neglect to carry our examination beyond the
veneer of numerical delineation and statistical analysis. The sense of belonging that reverberates in
rural communities all across our country is the essence of what we, as a nation,
are about. Putting some numbers
together in a census tract and counting for something are not the same
things. It’s when you take your turn
behind the lawnmower that you may have just added up to something.
NACo INFORMATION
Human
Resources
Management
for
Rural Counties
One
Source, an alliance of several companies that provide a wide range of human
resource services, has been selected as NACo’s Financial Services (FSC) private
sector partner for small and rural counties.
Managing
human resources presents an enormous challenge for many small and rural
counties. Few have the luxury of dedicated staff to handle the day-to-day
issues of payroll, benefits management, testing and training. Without adequate
access to in-house legal and risk management services, these counties can be
more vulnerable to lawsuits.
The
FSC conducted an extensive survey of counties with a population under 50,000
and found significant concern about this problem and very limited resources to
address it. As a result, NACo
identified needed services such as:
• development of personnel and
policy manuals
• codification of job
descriptions
• diversity and workplace
training
• salary and benefit comparisons
and best practices
• pay plan consultation
• incident management training,
which includes both preventative training and training to manage a violent incident after the fact
• health and welfare benefits for
employees
• risk management services
• group insurance plans
• payroll
services
• testing for prospective hires
and promotional candidates in key employment areas, including public safety,
and
•
assistance with HIPAA compliance.